


Alexis Jacquelyn

by Thunderhel



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: AU, AU Bitty works for the Falconers, Get Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21622198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunderhel/pseuds/Thunderhel
Summary: Jack and Tater are unstoppable duo, both on and off the ice. There is absolutely nothing that can come between the two of them, nothing at all, except maybe a very cute new intern, a year of indecision, and a cat named after themselves.
Relationships: Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Alexei "Tater" Mashkov/Jack Zimmermann
Comments: 13
Kudos: 114
Collections: Polya Epifest 2019





	Alexis Jacquelyn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CasTheButler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasTheButler/gifts).



> This fic is for Casthebutler and I hope it's at least somewhere in the realm of what you wanted!! I have a huge thank you to multiple people who helped edit this fic including [mrsgenderfluidwpoindexterirl/](https://mrsgenderfluidwpoindexterirl.tumblr.com/), [cobaltaureus](https://cobaltaureus.tumblr.com/), [theantichristsbike](https://theantichristsbike.tumblr.com/), and [iwannabearobin](https://iwannabearobin.tumblr.com/). You are all heroes and the only reason this story is legible. Thank you so much.

**_July 24th 2017 11:57PM_ **

**  
**

Eric thought, for one horrible moment, that his alarm was going off and he had somehow managed to get almost no sleep at all over the course of the night. The next moment brought him peace of mind to see it was only three minutes to midnight, and he still had six hours left before he needed to be awake. The third moment brought back his panic in double as he realized Tater was calling him. Immediately he found himself painfully awake, mind racing through everything that could have gone wrong and every terrible thing that he could be about to hear on the other line. 

“Tater, what’s wrong?” Eric answered, already halfway out of bed. He was trying to remember where he put his keys, preparing himself to have to run to the rink for an emergency, or maybe the hospital or the police station. 

_“I found a cat.”_

Eric had fished out a pair of sweatpants and had one leg through the hole before he stopped. “What? Tater where are you?” 

_“I’m in my apartment,”_ Tater said, like it was the obvious answer. _“But I took walk to corner store to get slushie, yeah? When I’m come back, there is little cat. In front of my door!”_

Eric, with one leg still trapped, flopped backwards onto his bed. “I...Tater it’s a cat. Just let it keep walking around. That’s what they do. Don’t take a stray cat inside.”

_“It can’t walk!”_

“What do you mean it can’t walk? You have a paralyzed cat on your doorstep?” 

Tater groaned in frustration. _“No, is little cat. Baby cat.”_

“A kitten?”

_“Da! Is a kitten.”/ ___

__Eric blew out a breath through his nose. “Okay, and it can’t walk?”_ _

___“No.”_ There was a shuffling on the other end of the line. _“Okay it_ can _walk, but not very fast!”__ _

__“I...Tater I don’t know anything about cats, maybe you can google it? I feel like they need a lot of attention. I think there’s an animal shelter out near Marty’s-”_ _

___“No! What if they put her down? She chose me, I have to take care of her.”__ _

__Eric nodded, like Tater could see him. Like any of this made sense. “Okay...So why are you calling me?”_ _

___“Is your job to help me with things.”__ _

__Eric’s mouth dropped open as he stared at his ceiling. “That is absolutely _not_ in my job description.” _ _

___“Yes it is!”_ Tater insisted, though he didn’t sound very demanding. He never did. “You help me with things I need help with.”_ _

__“Yeah, stuff like, Instagram posting, and getting your dry cleaning, and making sure you show up at press appearances. Not taking care of strange animals you found.” Despite his protests, Eric was still pulling his sweatpants on properly._ _

___“Little B!”_ Tater’s voice had taken on a whine, and how a man that size could whine and pout like a child, Eric had no idea. Why it worked was even more of a mystery. _“You only are my assistant for a few more days. Don’t you want to help me?”__ _

__“I’m not _your_ assistant,” Eric chided, an argument that was over a year old. “I’m an assistant for one third of this team, and Jack is supposed to be at a hospital appearance in the morning-”_ _

___“Jack is here.”__ _

__Eric froze, half way through pulling on his hoodie. “What?”_ _

___“Say hi, Zimmboni!”__ _

__There was a shuffling over the phone again and then another voice, quieter and more tired than Tater’s. _“Hey, Bittle.”__ _

__Eric narrowed his eyes at the far wall, trying to sort through the sleepy fog of his brain to make sense of this. “What are you doing at Tater’s?”_ _

___“Called him first. He say to call you,”_ came Tater’s voice, slightly muffled for not being the one holding the phone, but somehow no less loud. _ _

___“I did not say that,”_ Jack responded, his monotone keeping itself level. _ _

__Eric saw his strange and confusing career stretching out before him, and he considered Tater’s reasoning that he only had a few days left as a PA for the Falconers. Only a few more days, and while these boys were idiots they were, for the time being, his idiots._ _

__“I’ll be there in 20.”_ _

**_October 15th 2016 9:28 PM_ **

**  
**

__Jack was tired._ _

__That wasn’t so much a reflection on the day he had had, but more on his life in general. He was always tired the moment he unlaced his skates, and he never quite felt like he had woken back up until he was pulling them back on again. Maybe he was just being dramatic because he never quite felt like he could sleep at night either. Not alone anyway. As he sat in his stall working on tying his sneakers he considered the dilemma in the offhand way he always did, not paying much attention to the world around him until suddenly a body was forcing its way into his space, making him shift in his stall to not receive a face full of Tater’s shirt._ _

__“Zimmboni always looking so sad,” Tater lamented as he loudly shoved his things in his own stall. He was leaning over Jack to do it when he could have easily walked around him, purposefully making a nuisance of himself in the name of attention. “Look like nobody in whole world love him.”_ _

__Jack did his best to force on a glare over the smile fighting its way across his face, tilting his head back to stare up at Tater. Tater had his bottom lip pushed out as far as it would go as he stared back down at Jack. “I’m not sad,” Jack told him._ _

__“Is something sad person would say.” Tater’s voice was full of unnecessary confidence and faux pity. He pressed even closer to Jack as he forced something back in his stall above Jack’s head. Jack made a sound of disapproval as Tater’s chest pressed against him and forced him further back into his stall. At least he had already showered this time. And at least he had already gotten dressed. Jack had been on the losing end of this exchange more than once and he was thankful for those small blessings as he shoved Tater’s stomach back with his palms. One of Tater’s knees came up onto the bench of the stall to get a better angle on whatever it was he was trying to move, making a show of ignoring Jack to the point of crowding him back against wall._ _

__From his own stall, Snowy scoffed. “Jesus, at least wait until you’re home to start in on that shit. The rest of us gotta work here, you know?”_ _

__Tater finally relented, putting both feet back on the floor and moving away from Jack like he had never been there at all. Jack ran a hand through his hair, unhappy with the way he knew it was sticking up and the way he knew his face was heating up and the way he knew that he wasn’t unhappy at all._ _

__“Shut up, Snowy,” Jack snapped back on instinct, rather than leaning in to any of the bait being offered. He grabbed his nearest towel, rubbing at his face with it under the guise of wiping away sweat to hide how red he knew his face was getting. He only caught the barest glimpse of Snowy’s face before he decided to hide, and while Snowy’s smile was light, little more than a twitch in the corner of his lip, Jack knew him well enough to not engage. Dustin Snow was one of his best friends and it was through that closeness that Jack knew he was a shark in human skin. Iif Jack let one drop of blood escape, there would be no saving him._ _

__“Aw, Snowy.” Tater turned his attention away from Jack, rounding on Snowy like a dog on a new scent trail. “You feel left out?”_ _

__Snowy’s slight smirk faltered, giving way to an icy glare. Jack didn’t understand how Tater could face down that look so fearlessly. “Don’t fucking touch me,” Snowy said, his words harsh but his tone the same light nonchalance he always had._ _

__“He just jealous,” Tater whispered in a conspiratorial tone to Jack, giving him a wink. Jack forced himself to roll his eyes at to look anywhere else but Tater’s face. He found himself having to stop himself from looking directly at Tater’s face more and more these days._ _

__“Obviously.”_ _

__Tater’s mouth was open with another comment ready on his tongue that Jack could feel more than he could hear. Tater’s mouth was always open, always ready to fill a silence that didn’t need to be filled, and the only way to really get a word in edgewise was to cut him off, which was exactly what Georgia did as she breezed her way into the locker room._ _

__Georgia always had a collected way about her; she always seemed so in control and calm, even while a storm was brewing around her. Nothing ever managed to touch her. She stood forever in the eye of a never ending hurricane of various disasters. Today was no different, and her mouth was set in a tight line that betrayed no hint as to what she was really feeling._ _

__She was as unconcerned as ever with the possibility of nudity around her, though she had waited a decent amount of time, which left only a few guys remaining in their towels as all 23 members of the team turned their attention to her. Her speech began before the click of her heels stopped, a Blackberry in her hand as she typed and talked at the same time. Jack never understood how people could walk and type, let alone talk and type two completely different thoughts at the same time. Georgia informed them that there was an update to their media policy, a brief blurb that they would all have to read and sign sometime before tomorrow, their equipment was going to have to be loaded separately from their uniforms this time, they were expected to be on the tarmac at exactly 6:15 AM on Friday or there would be _Consequences_ , and the new Interns from Samwell University had just finished their orientation week and would be meeting the team before they headed out for the night. _ _

__All the announcements were standard, the same usual thing Georgia brought to them the night before a game, and Jack barely thought twice about it at the time. Later, he would find he could remember every detail of her outfit as she delivered the news. It had been the same outfit she was wearing a half hour later after the team was all packed and ready to go, standing in the lobby next to the six new interns._ _

__She was wearing a smart blue pantsuit, the closest she came to casual when on the clock, and young man next to her was wearing a white button up and chino pants that Jack would call pink and would later be corrected and informed they were salmon. He was wearing a bowtie, and Jack was marveling at the way he managed to not look absolutely ridiculous in it and trying to figure out why he suddenly couldn’t remember a single word of a polite introduction when Tater brushed past him._ _

__“I’m Alexei, but all friends call me Tater.” His hand looked huge when he grasped the intern’s._ _

__When the intern smiled, Jack felt something in his chest tighten in a way he couldn’t decide if he liked or not. “My name is Eric Bittle, and it is a pleasure to meet y’all.”_ _

__Jack had always thought he hated southern accents. It turned out he was incorrect. Eric’s attention shifted to Jack. His smile was bright and wide, excited and anxious in equal parts as he held out his hand for Jack to shake._ _

__“I’m Jack Zimmermann,” he finally managed as he took Eric’s hand._ _

__Eric laughed, his smile growing impossibly wider. “I know.”_ _

__“Can’t be on hockey team without a nickname.” Tater was still at Eric’s elbow, arms crossed as he stood just an inch too close to be casual. “I’m call you Little B.”_ _

__Eric’s hand was still clasped in Jack’s, almost half forgotten there as he turned his head to smile at Tater._ _

__Tater smiled at everyone. He gave everyone a nickname and stood too close for comfort at the best of times._ _

__But Jack knew Tater better than anyone, and it had been a long time since he’d seen that soft pink flush high on his cheekbones._ _

__Eric dropped his hand and Tater met Jack’s eye. They were both still smiling, but Jack felt his stomach drop._ _

__There was a storm beginning to brew, and Jack didn’t think he nor Tater were in anyway prepared to weather it._ _

**_July 25th 2017 12:34AM_ **

**  
**

__Eric’s phone said it was half past midnight when he finally knocked on Tater’s door. The doorman at the front of the building had chuckled as he had let Eric in. What kind of emergency situation he thought Tater had pulled Eric out of bed for, Eric had no idea, but he didn’t care to stop and explain. His hands were shaking as he rode the elevator up and he did his best to shake the feeling creeping up his bones. It was fine, it was just Jack and Tater. They were his friends, and for one more week they were still his coworkers. There was nothing to be nervous about._ _

__He repeated it to himself as he made his way to Tater’s apartment, the phrase echoing in his head until it began to lose meaning as he knocked on the door._ _

__“Little B!” Tater threw the door open, his greeting already halfway through before he even saw Eric’s face._ _

__“Hi Tater.”_ _

__“Hi, Bittle.” Came Jack’s muffled reply from somewhere behind Tater._ _

__“Thank you for coming.” Tater stepped out of the way to allow him in, and Eric stopped in the hallway only long enough to take off his shoes before he was searching for Jack._ _

__“Yeah, yeah, where’s the cat?” No sooner had he asked the question that he had his answer. He very quickly found that he was unprepared for it._ _

__Jack Zimmermann was sitting on Tater’s couch, or more accurately he was curled up on Tater’s couch. He was swimming in a hoodie that had to belong to Tater, red and soft looking with the hood pulled up over his uncharacteristically untidy hair. His feet were bare and his long legs were pulled up nearly to his chest as he braced his back against the arm rest. His arms were crossed over his chest and right up against his chest was a black ball of fur._ _

__“I think she’s sleeping.” Jack’s eyes were lidded and there was a soft smile at the corner of his mouth._ _

__“I’m name her Alexis Jacquelyn,” Tater informed him, making Eric jump at his sudden and surprisingly silent arrival at his side._ _

__“After himself,” Jack added._ _

__“I got that.”_ _

__"And me."_ _

__"Yeah."_ _

__Eric set his bag down gently on the coffee table, careful not to cause too much noise and disturb the tiny bundle on Jack’s chest. The kitten was so small, made even tinier by her proximity to Jack and his thick arms cradling her close. The fact that kittens were small and cute, and that Jack was a large and attractive man, and that attractive men holding cute kittens made those men even more attractive was not news to Eric, but it was all a bit much to handle at nearly one in the morning._ _

__Up close, possibly closer than he should have been as his thighs brushed against Jack’s legs, he could see the small bundle shifting, the spikey fur rising and falling with tiny breaths. He could also see that he had been mistaken before. The kitten was not entirely black. She had delicate brushes of orange peeking out here and there, and the one little paw he could see was orange as well._ _

__“She’s tortoiseshell,” Jack told Eric, his voice quiet and low as he stared down at the kitten._ _

__“That’s what the coloring is called?”_ _

__“Yeah.”_ _

__“He didn’t know that.” Tater’s voice was the quietest Eric had ever heard it, still louder than most people’s speaking volume but Eric could hear the effort. “Had to google it,” he told Eric before he was turning out of the room and heading back down the hall._ _

__Jack frowned, the exhaustion clear on his face making the expression more comical than threatening. “You didn’t know either.”_ _

__“Knew it in Russian,” Tater called back. There was some shifting in the kitchen, like a door being opened and something being moved and then Tater was back in the living room. He sat himself down on the couch, his massive thighs pushing against Eric’s as he tried to crowd closer to see the cat. On the table he sat down two glasses of water. Eric didn’t have to ask to know one was for him._ _

__“So what, exactly am I here for?” Eric tried as he found his eyes drawn back to the kitten once more. She shifted in her sleep, stretching one paw out and flexing tiny claws as she made herself more comfortable in Jack’s arms. “Not that she isn’t the actual cutest thing I’ve ever seen, but what do you need help with?”_ _

__“We can’t take care of her!” Tater scolded, sounding shocked that Eric would even ask. “She needs care from gentle baker. Not big hockey goons.”_ _

__“Speak for yourself, I’m not a fucking goon,” Jack snipped, one hand reached up to scratch behind tiny triangle ears. Eric felt a strange feeling in his chest, like everything was too heavy and too light all at once._ _

__“I don’t know anything about cats,” Eric interjected, trying to cut off the fight before it started._ _

__“Neither do we!” Tater sounded very cheerful about the prospect. “But you’re smarter than us, so you have to help.”_ _

__“I thought I had to help because it was my job.” Eric nearly raised a hand to pet the cat before thinking better of it. “Wait, you just pulled this cat off the street right? Do y’all have any idea how many diseases it could have.”_ _

__“Too late,” Jack mumbled, continuing his scratching of the cat’s ears._ _

__“You help because you are friend,” Tater told him, sounding wounded just enough that Eric knew it was fake. “And she have no diseases, she is perfect.”_ _

__“You have absolutely no way of knowing that and we are taking her to a vet the first appointment we can get._ _

__“See, is why you are here.”_ _

__“Between the two of you you couldn’t figure out that you should take it to the vet?”_ _

__“I have the hospital visit at 9,” Jack reminded him. In his arms the kitten shifted and Eric refused to acknowledge the way his heart ached at the tiny little sound it made. “And then I’m going to be in Quebec for the next four days after that, so it’s gonna have to be you two.”_ _

__“Is okay,” Tater interjected, leaning over Eric again to scratch the cat’s ears more gently than Eric would have assumed Tater capable of. “Little B and I can handle her on our own.” He was close enough that Eric could feel his breath on the back of his neck, stirring the hair behind his ear as Tater’s chest bumped up against his shoulder. His arm was wrapped behind Eric along the back of the couch, boxing him in against his chest. There was a heat in Eric’s face and a smile pulling at his lips, both of which he was powerless to fight against. “Can’t we?”_ _

__Eric nodded, biting down on his lip as he watched two different hands gently stroking the kitten. This close he could hear her quiet purrs. When he glanced over his shoulder, Tater’s face was even closer than he had thought, a wide grin and bright eyes taking up his entire field of vision. He was exhausted and still mildly confused about the entire situation, and he blamed that for his lack of self awareness as he allowed himself to smile back. “Of course.”_ _

__When he turned his attention back to the kitten he caught Jack’s eyes. Eric was still smiling, and was even considering reaching out and actually petting the highly possibly infected cat when Jack’s gaze stopped him. He kept his smile in place, uncertain as to why but knowing that dropping the expression was the wrong option. Jack wasn’t smiling anymore, the tiny quirk of his lips was gone and instead there was a crease between his eyebrows._ _

__Eric kept his smile in place, just as he always did. But something didn’t feel right._ _

**_January 7th 2017 5:08 PM_ **

**  
**

__“I think Bittle’s gonna be a problem.”_ _

__Jack would never say that to Georgia. Or to Eric. Or to tater. He wouldn’t have said it to anyone ever. He wasn’t even the one who said it now. He certainly didn’t want anyone else to hear it, even if he thought it was true._ _

__“What? Why?” Jack turned his head to Snowy, caught halfway between curiosity and indignation for the intern in question. Because aside from himself, Jack couldn’t see how Eric could be a problem for anyone. He was excellent at his job, a pro at wrangling hockey players despite his small stature and southern charm, or maybe because of it. He handled six different team members social media pages, including Jack’s, and had almost doubled Jack’s follower count on Instagram since he had taken over it four months ago. The number along the top now read something that previously would have left Jack panicking, but now that Eric was in charge he didn’t feel the need to._ _

__Jack actually found that he rarely felt the need to panic if Eric was around. At least, not in the sense he usually did. Eric was a force unto himself, a ray of sunshine and southern hospitality lost but entirely at ease in the North. He was friendly and amenable and had a spine made of steel. No amount of harsh words or glares could shake his resolve or get him to back down from a stance. Eric was a PA, a social media manager, and on the worst of days a babysitter for grown adults. He had no problem telling men twice his size that they were going to do what he wanted them to, and Jack still had no idea how Eric had gotten him to agree to half of the things they posted._ _

__Beside him, Snowy drank from a bottle of Gatorade, eyes locked on where Eric and Tater was talking. Or rather where Tater was talking, Eric was laughing, one hand over his mouth and the other waving in the air as if he could dispel Tater’s nonsense that easily. Jack shifted on his feet. The ice was less than 100 feet away and he’d already showered after practice but he suddenly felt too hot under his shirt._ _

__Beside him Snowy remained silent. Jack let it go on for just a few seconds longer than he could reasonably stand before he looked over at him. Snowy was staring back at him, face still forward with his eyes cut to the side to raise an eyebrow at Jack in the most casual display of unamused judgement Jack had ever received._ _

__“What?”_ _

__Snowy snorted, the sound somehow coming out delicate and contained despite all evidence that that shouldn’t be possible. He straighted up, rolling his eyes and his shoulders as he turned away from Jack. “You’re an idiot.”_ _

__Jack sputtered at Snowy’s retreating form, a heat rising in his face at being insulted so bluntly and with so little explanation. “You’re an...idiot,” he fired back, voice all venom even as his words wavered in confusion._ _

__“Yeah, good luck lover boy.”_ _

__Jack’s face burned even hotter, anger mixing with embarrassment at the insinuation. Jack knew he wasn’t obvious, knew he had the situation under control. Snowy was just the most observant person on the planet, and had Jack thought of it ten seconds sooner he might have made a quip about it being because Snowy had no life of his own. Or maybe he wouldn’t have because as the seconds ticked by and Snowy disappeared out the double doors, Jack still wasn’t sure how he would have worded his hypothetical comeback._ _

__“What are you looking at?”_ _

__Jack startled at the voice, nearly dropping his duffle bag as Eric was suddenly at his elbow._ _

__Eric jumped as well, letting out a tiny squeak as he took a quick step back. “Oh Lord, I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”_ _

__“No, it’s fine, you’re fine. I’m just-”_ _

__“Snowy have that effect on people,” Tater stepped up to stand beside Eric, draping one heavy arm over his shoulders. He did it gently though, Eric’s smile was soft and fond and not pained like most of the rest of the team was whenever Tater decided to drap himself bodily over them. “Call him Spooky Snowy. Always make everyone jumpy.”_ _

__“He doesn’t make you jumpy,” Eric accused, turning his attention away from Jack and onto Tater. There was a tight feeling in Jack’s chest as he watched Eric’s eyes shift away. It was tight and hot and uncomfortable and Jack knew exactly what the cause of it was, he was just too stubborn to let himself think it._ _

__“I’m old pro at Snowy,” Tater told him with a wave of his free hand. The other hand, still draped over Eric’s shoulder tightened just the slightest bit. Not enough to mean anything. Not enough for anyone not laser focused in on the situation to notice. Jack noticed._ _

__“Or maybe just nothing scares you,” Eric teased back. “Big tough guy like you not afraid of anything.” He touched his palm to Tater’s chest, a brief brush of his fingers against the fabric of Tater’s shirt. The touch was over before it even began and Eric was turning away, someone else down the hall calling his name and his attention away from both of them._ _

__Jack’s breath was caught somewhere between his chest and his throat and he watched as Eric bid them both a quick goodbye before doing that half jog he did when he was in a hurry but still refused to commit to a run. Jack kept his eyes on him as he met with Nate, before he chanced a glance over at Tater._ _

__Tater’s eyes were also still on Eric, his smile softer than usual and his eyes wide. He was only a second behind Jack’s thoughts, his eyes shifting to meet Jack’s a moment later. Their stare off only lasted a few seconds, tight smiles on both of their faces as something awkward and uncomfortable moved between them. Jack turned away first, ignoring the heat in his face, ignoring the pink tint to Tater’s cheeks, ignoring everything he could despite the fact that he wasn’t ignoring it at all._ _

___“I think Eric’s going to be a problem.”__ _

**_July 25th 2017 2:43AM_**

**  
**

__Eric’s face was in his hands, hood pulled up over his head and legs crossed as he attempted to retreat back into his hoodie for comfort. “It’s so late,” he whispered into his palms._ _

__“Kitten is diurnal,” Tater commented sagely from his position on the floor, his back against the couch. Eric’s knees were warm where they pressed against Tater’s shoulders. Eric didn’t look up but he heard the sound of tiny paws scrambling across the floor. It was followed by a sharp cry, both adorable and painfully high._ _

__“I want to sleep,” Jack stated bluntly, vocalizing all of their thoughts from the other side of the couch._ _

__Tater sighed, ignoring him. “Not diurnal, opposite. Awake all night.” The kitten shouted again in agreement._ _

__Eric let his hands fall away from his face. “How in God’s name do you know the word diurnal but not nocturnal?”_ _

__“What’s diurnal mean?”_ _

__Eric let his hand roll to the side, too tired to do much more than that, to look at Jack. Jack was still curled up along the arm rest, or as curled up as a professional hockey player could possibly get himself. His eyes were closed but the tense line between his eyebrows said he wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon. “It means awake during the day and sleeps at night.”_ _

__“Duh.” Out of the corner of his eye Eric saw Tater flick the piece of string he had found over the ground, the kitten giving chase with an intensity Eric didn’t think a single Falconer was capable of. “Stupid.”_ _

__“You’re stupid,” Jack fired back with exactly zero heat._ _

__The kitten screamed again when the string stopped moving for a moment too long._ _

__“We’re all gonna die here.” Eric shifted, pulled his knees back away from Tater so he could pull them to his chest and rest his forehead against his kneecap. There was a time when he had been so concerned with looking professional in front of these men. There had been a time when complaining in his sweats as he attempted to roll himself into a ball on Tater’s couch would have been his worst nightmare. Three in the morning after nearly a year of having to save both Jack and Tater from a litany of idiotic situations had made him immune to any such feelings._ _

__The kitten shrieked again._ _

__“Maybe if you stop playing with her, she’ll stop yelling,” Jack suggested._ _

__“If I stop playing with her, she yell more.”_ _

__“Maybe we should all just leave. This apartment clearly belongs to the kitten now.”_ _

__“Her name is Alexis.”_ _

__“Her name is annoying.”_ _

__“You’re annoying.”_ _

__“Okay!” Eric held his hands up, one vaguely in the direction of each man. “Alright, we need sleep. We can’t...just spend the whole night waiting for a kitten to sleep.” He ran a hand over his face as if he could scrub the sleep from it by force of will alone. “Can we put her in the bathroom?”_ _

__“We can’t lock her in bathroom all by herself!” Tater sounded scandalized. He reached out to scoop up the ball of fur trying to rush past him, holding her tight to his chest as if he was afraid Eric was going to physically toss here out of the room._ _

__“Well, we can’t keep going like this. We’re going to fall asleep and she’s going to get into something she’s not supposed to.”_ _

__“What about the bedroom?” Jack’s voice was softer than usual, a lazy drawl to it that was indicative of how close he was to passing out. His eyes were closed and arms crossed over his chest as he spoke. Eric could only stand to look at him for a few seconds at a time before he had to look away._ _

__“She’s going to make on the floor,” Eric said, his own arms latched tightly around his knees._ _

__“Make what?”_ _

__Eric rolled his eyes. “She’s going to go to the bathroom on the floor.”_ _

__“Maybe we can make her a litter box. Do you have any ice melt?”_ _

__“For what?”_ _

__Jack shrugged. “People use cat litter as ice melt, why can’t we use ice melt as cat litter?”_ _

__Tater gasped, a sudden epiphany over taking him enough that Eric had to pull his legs closer to his body to stay out of the way as Tater stumbled to his feet. “I have sand, from punching bag I used to have. Can put it in box. Make litter box for the night and get her real one tomorrow.”_ _

__Eric nodded in his agreement and soon the half semblance of a plan was put into motion. It took longer than it should have between three sleep addled brains to collect one kitten and a box filled with sand that would inevitably be tracked all across Tater’s otherwise surprisingly clean apartment by tomorrow. Already it had left a trail from Tater’s storage closet all the way to his bedroom, a fine bread crumb trail that led Eric and Jack to the too easy comfort of Tater’s king size bed._ _

__Eric, all decorum and need to seem in control forgotten in his sleep deprivation, curled up immediately at the foot of the bed, one cheek pressed hard into the mattress as he blinked down at the kitten currently staring up at him. “Has she been litter box trained?” He asked, his voice sounding far away even to his own ears._ _

__There was a pause and Eric thought maybe Tater and Jack were communicating silently above his head. They did that sometimes, if only because it was so easy for them to make eye contact over him. “I don’t think cats need to be trained, I think they just know.”_ _

__Eric didn’t think that made any sort of sense but he was too tired to argue a point he didn’t know anything about in the first place. The cat was still looking at him, her big yellow eyes not even seeming to move as Eric’s blinks got longer and longer. Around him Jack and Tater were moving, shuffling about and talking in slightly quieter tones than usual._ _

__Eric blinked once more at the cat, before he found it far easier to not open his eyes again._ _

**_April 15th 2017 8:13 PM_**

**  
**

__Snowy was not laughing at Tater’s story._ _

__It wasn’t that unexpected of an occurrence, really. As funny as Tater knew he was and as funny as he knew Snowy found him, getting Snowy to laugh was a rare blessing. However, as much as Snowy liked to keep his lips sealed together, there was usually that shadow of a smile in the corners of his face, an expression that only the people who knew Snowy best of all could ever detect. Today there was some sort of a shadow there, Tater could certain, but it didn’t seem happy._ _

__Tater was not uncomfortable with silences. What he was uncomfortable with was uncomfortable silences - which while Snowy specialized in them - they were not often found in their conversations. But the air was heavy and still as Tater’s last laugh echoed off of the hallway walls, his grin wide and held in place by sheer determination at Snowy’s strangely hesitant demeanor._ _

__“You hear me?” Tater asked, though he knew there was no way Snowy hadn’t. They were the only two in the hall. It was an hour until midnight and they were in New Orleans, a city that had no business being asleep so early, and yet all was silent except for the two of them. The view past Snowy’s shoulder looked down over a story into the hotel’s indoor pool where Tater could clearly make out at least a half dozen people splashing and playfully fighting._ _

__“Yeah, I heard ya.” Snowy lifted an eyebrow as he looked up at Tater. “You told me that story about Eric on the plane ride in last night.”_ _

__Tater’s smile, which he did his best to permanently keep in place, faltered. He repeated stories. He was well aware of it. It had never felt like something he really had to keep track of, sharing his stories with whoever would listen and not really paying attention to what he had told to who. Snowy had been his friend for years, and had heard everything at least ten times over and had never once complained._ _

__Though perturbed by Snowy’s mood, Tater elected not to show it. There was something lurking just beneath the surface of the conversation, something Snowy was hinting at that Tater couldn’t understand but knew well enough that he didn’t want to. “It was funny, you lucky to hear it twice.”_ _

__Snowy made a noise in the back of his throat as they turned the corner. “You tell a lot of stories about Eric,” he said. There was no inflection in his voice, no hint as to what that meant._ _

__Tater increased his stride, feeling a slight vindication when Snowy obviously had to double his steps to keep up. “He is funny guy.”_ _

__“Funny?” Snowy repeated, that same flat tone in his voice. Like they were discussing a math problem and disagreeing on the answer. Or something like that. Tater would never argue about math against Snowy. “You wouldn’t say cute?”_ _

__Tater stopped then, mouth open but unsure of what words he needed in that exact moment. Snowy was wrong, not in what he said, but in what he meant and Tater didn’t have a strong enough grip on emotions and understanding people in his own language, let alone a second, to contradict him._ _

__Instead of slowing, Snowy brushed straight past him, eyes locked for a few steps as he turned and walking backwards. He was daring Tater to say something, and it was never a good idea to back down from a teammate’s dare._ _

__“He’s cute guy, too,” Tater conceded, going for easy and confident with a small shrug added in. There was nothing he could do about the heat in his face or the way his stomach seemed to turn in on itself at the admission._ _

__Snowy’s eyebrows arched even higher and he made that same humming sound in the back of his throat. He turned his back on Tater._ _

__“Yeah, I guess he is.”_ _

__Tater didn’t have to rush to catch up with him, his long legs taking him to Snowy’s side in an instant, but by then they had rounded the corner in the lobby and it felt like they had abruptly entered another world. In an extravagant looking bar set back against the far wall, a glittering gold chandelier cast a soft, warm light on everyone in the room. It was noisy in the controlled sort of way that happened when a lot of people were all trying their best to be polite._ _

__There was press scattered between their teammates and staff and everyone was dressed in pressed slacks and dinner jackets meant to look nice but effortlessly so. As if every item of clothing hadn’t been hand-picked and tailored just for them by a style team._ _

__“Speak of the devil.”_ _

__Tater meant to ask Snowy what he meant, but Snowy was already nodding his head towards the wall, near the big staircase that lead down to the reception hall. And there was Eric. He was wearing a light blue button up, a black bow tie looking crisp at his collar and a bright smile on his face as he talked animatedly to someone._ _

__For a moment, Tater forgot about Snowy and his cryptic eyebrow raises, and he forgot that he was exhausted from the flight and the game and the multiple bus rides he’d had to endure today. He forgot everything in the soft way Eric’s smile lit up the room around him and the way he was the only one Tater could see wearing a bowtie but there was no hint of anxiety at standing out in the crowd. Because that was what Eric did, what he was born to do really. Stand out._ _

__Eric was leaning forward towards the person he was talking to, and Tater felt a pang of something he didn’t want to name was he watched Eric reach up and adjust the other man’s tie, too close in their space to be natural and his smile seemed to only grow brighter. When the other man shifted, Tater could see who it was._ _

__He made eye contact with Jack without meaning too, and there was another something - something that had a name but naming it made it real so Tater refused - passing between them for just a beat too long before Jack made an attempt to smile._ _

__Eric looked over in their direction and waved excitedly at Tater and Snowy, obviously beckoning them over. Tater took a step forward, unable to say no to Eric, just as Snowy took a step towards the bar._ _

__“Are you coming?” Tater asked, and when he looked back at Snowy he thought, for one horrible second that he saw an expression he had never seen before on his friend’s face. It was gone in an instant though, but Tater’ stomach felt tight even as Snowy’s expression melded seamlessly back into that blank stare. He had thought for a moment though that Snowy had been looking at him with pity._ _

__“Oh no man, I’m nowhere near drunk enough to go near this situation.” He flicked his eyes from Tater over to Jack and Eric. His words were hard and mocking, but his mouth softened as he took another step backwards towards the bar. He was always walking backwards, Tater thought, and how he never ran into anyone was a mystery. “You have fun.” He took another step before he hesitated, another thing that Tater wasn’t sure he could ever remember Snowy doing before. “And, uh, Tater?”_ _

__Tater almost wanted to ask if Snowy was feeling well, but Tater wasn’t an idiot, and neither was Snowy. They both knew what wasn’t being said. “Yeah?”_ _

__Snowy glanced over at Eric and Jack again, where the two had gone back to talking to each other. “Let me know if you need to talk. About anything.” He turned, his last words thrown over his shoulder as if they weren’t the closest Snowy ever got to showing real concern or emotion for anyone. “I’ll be around.”_ _

__And then Snowy was gone, disappearing into the crowd to get himself a drink and Tater was left alone among a dozen people he didn’t know, an invitation to join the two people he most wanted to see and desperately did not want to at the same time hanging in the air. He blew out a breath between his teeth. He was a grown man, and he could handle the fluttering of his heart and the churning in his stomach like one._ _

__He put on the best grin he could manage before turning back to Eric and Jack. It wasn’t hard. Even with his organs all out of whack and Snowy’s concern echoing in his head, it was never difficult to be happy when he had Jack on one side of him and Eric on the other._ _

**_July 25th 2017 6:05AM_**

**  
**

__Eric came into consciousness in the lazy way of a weekend with no alarm set. His bed was more confined than he remembered, and in his half awake mind he thought maybe he had added a few extra pillows last night, and promptly wondered why he didn’t sleep like this every night if the result was so nice. He was being pressed in against from all sides, a fortress of warmth and comforting pressure from keeping him safe and confined._ _

__The next three thoughts he had after considering his new pillows came very fast, one right on top of the other in not so much of a looping train of thought as a derailed jump of the track - casualties still unknown. Because he remembered that one; it was not the weekend and it was highly possible he had not set an alarm and was going to be late to his last event as the Falconers PR assistant. Two; he had not fallen asleep in his own apartment last night. And three; the pillows pressing in on either side of him were breathing._ _

__His eyes snapped open, blinking against the darkness and thanked God the sun wasn’t up yet, because maybe he still had a chance at not being late. There was a light, a soft glowing blue that was flashing numbers at him from the nightstand and after a moment of letting his bleary eyes adjust he could make out that it was 6 in the morning, still plenty of time to get up and ready for the hospital meet and greet, but not enough to sleep for much longer._ _

__Eric attempted to turn his head slightly to make sure he had read the alarm correctly but and found the view blocked by a poof of hair that was distinctly not his own. Hair that was also pushing itself against his face, soft and dark and smelling of something very distinctly male, but he didn’t have near enough understanding of scent to tell what it was beyond that._ _

__That hair was connected to a head and a face which were currently pressing in close against his collarbone. There was a heavy arm laid over his side, pinning him down as its owner was currently cuddling against him like they were lovers._ _

__Eric wished his mind had thought of any other word than lovers. Boyfriends would have even been better. Lovers felt so much more illicit and ridiculous at once._ _

__Whoever was cuddling up against him shifted, a cool nose brushing along the hollow of his throat and a hand squeezed his hip. Eric was frozen in place, eyes wide in the dark as he felt the second body, pressed close against his back, shift as well. There was a hand on his hip and another on his chest, close enough that he knew both men on either side of him had to be touching each other as well. It took him a minute to assess the situation in the dark, but the result yielded didn’t make any more sense in his state of alertness than it had when he was half asleep._ _

__Alexei Mashkov was spooning him from behind, his massive form pressed protectively around Eric and arm holding him securely in place as Jack Zimmermann cuddled into his chest._ _

__It was simultaneously a dream come true and a waking nightmare all rolled into one very confusing bundle._ _

__Eric closed his eyes against the image of Jack’s hair obscuring the clock, squeezing them tight like if he could just force himself back to sleep he could wake up again and this wouldn’t be happening. However when he opened his eyes a few seconds later he found himself in the same position. Tater shifted behind him, pushing himself more firmly along the curve of Eric’s back and snuggling himself in deeper against Eric’s hair with a soft sigh that went straight to Eric’s heart. He could hear his blood in his ears and feel his pulse jumping in his throat._ _

__Jack and Tater were both just tired, both just asleep and seeking out the warmth of another body and Eric happened to be in between them at the worst possible time. Or perhaps the best. The jury was still out on that one. Despite his panic, the clock was still telling him they couldn’t lay in bed much longer. There were appointments to keep and Eric would be damned before he slacked off his last week for the Falconers._ _

__Last week. The term floated in his head, echoing in what suddenly felt like empty space, all other thoughts cleared out and replaced with nothing but a reminder of how short his time was left with these two boys. That and the warm pressure of two very attractive men cuddling against him, that was._ _

__Because Lord in Heaven and everything that was holy they were both gorgeous. It was a thought he had pushed to the back of his mind, had locked behind a very heavy door and thrown away the key because there was no time and no dignity in finding himself smitten with the professional hockey players he found himself employed alongside. So he had recognized they were attractive in a distant sort of way out the corner of his eye, like an objective fact that required no more thought or consideration than that and he tried to move on._ _

__It had been a plan that he found himself currently failing at as he physically could not move away from the situation at hand, not with two men twice his size boxing him in on either side._ _

__Eric inhaled deeply through his nose and let out the breath between his lips. “Uh, boys?” He tried quietly in the darkness, unable to raise his voice for fear of shattering the soft silence of the room around them._ _

__Jack shifted, exhaling softly and Eric felt his breath hot on his collarbone. Tater didn’t move._ _

__Eric steeled himself again and shifted slightly, trying to gently dislodge them both but to his mortification it only made both of them grip him a little tighter. He wasn’t sure what he had done in a past life to earn this sort of torture, but it must have been terrible. “Jack. Tater.” Eric tried again, voice slightly louder. From somewhere in the room he heard a soft sound that might have been a cat. He had forgotten about the cat. He strained his neck to try to spot the kitten, but couldn’t see much beyond Jack, Tater, and the clock. It felt for a moment like those three things might be the only three things that existed in the entire world._ _

__Eric shoved gently at Jack’s shoulders while the kicked back equally soft at Tater’s shins. Both of them finally began to stir, but in the same theme as before, neither of them moved further away, instead holding him closer. Tater’s hand snaked its way down his side, coming to rest across his stomach like it was the most natural movement in the world. Eric wanted to bristle away, to tell himself that it felt strange and invasive but he was lying even in his own head. Because Tater’s hand on him felt right. The same way Jack’s face tucked against his chest felt right, and Eric was fairly certain they were all going to be late to Jack’s hospital appearance._ _

__“Is too early,” Tater crooned into the back of his hair, another sentence just as soft and breathy spoken in Russian before he switched back to English. “Five more minutes.”_ _

__“Ten,” Jack countered. Eric couldn’t remember Jack ever attempting to sleep in, but then again never had he seen Jack forced to stay up until 3 in the morning caring for an animal. Speaking of which-_ _

__“Where’s the cat?” Eric asked, still trying to see around either man’s form._ _

__“She’s here,” Tater told him unhelpfully before he did a sort of full body wiggle that made Eric bite the inside of his cheek to keep from squeaking. “She’s against my back. Can feel her tail moving.”_ _

__“Don’t squish her,” Eric requested, hoping his voice didn’t actually sound as breathless as he thought it did._ _

__“Won’t,” Tater promised back gently, before he shifted againn. Eric felt the cold brush of his nose against the back of his neck, the only warning he had before there was a soft brush of lips against his skin, gentle and tender but undeniably a kiss._ _

__This time Eric did squeak, pressing himself forward in surprise straight into Jack, who grunted in response and tightened his hold on Eric’s waist. He shifted up and then there was another brush of lips, this time right beside his Adam’s apple as Jack mirrored Tater’s actions. It was just as gentle as Tater’s had been, though Eric didn’t know if Jack’s had been intentional or not, but in the moment it didn’t seem to matter, because he had Jack on one side and Tater on the other. Both of them were warm and solid and refusing to allow him to suppress the thoughts that had been harassing him unwarranted and relentless for the past year of his life._ _

__Jack and Tater. Tater and Jack. They seemed to go together in a way most other people would never understand and even the Falconers fans recognized it. _Potatomann_. That was the term they used, the dumbest possible word in existence was ruining Eric’s life and if that didn’t summarize his 19 years on this planet, he didn’t know what else would. Because Potatomann was impervious to all outside influences and dangers and would remain until the end of time. _ _

__Or it could._ _

__It should._ _

__But there was one problem. One tiny grain of salt that had somehow found itself between the otherwise perfectly oiled gears and had wedged itself in to become a small southern irritation between the greatest duo in all of the hockey world._ _

__Eric Bittle shot up in bed, dislodging both men on either side of him and forcing them into the land of the living with a start. Behind Tater he heard a small startled meow. “I can’t do this!”_ _

__Jack’s eyes were wide and surprised, his hair falling across his forehead in disarray. Tater looked equally confused but his eyes were narrowed like he may have been having trouble opening them all the way. “What?”_ _

__Eric pushed himself further up the bed, pulling himself more firmly away from them both though he couldn’t escape far and he could still feel the heat of both of their bodies against his legs. “I can’t-” He stopped himself, gesturing somewhat frantically between them. “I can’t do this.”_ _

__Realization dawned on Jack’s face first, but Tater wasn’t far behind. Jack immediately turned his face away, his cheeks already burning red in the low light of the morning as he cleared his throat. Tater’s reaction was slower, less dramatic and more contemplative as his big friendly mouth turned itself down into an uncharacteristic frown that tore at Eric’s insides._ _

__“Sorry.” Eric had never heard Tater’s voice so soft and so genuinely apologetic. He couldn’t remember Tater ever apologizing for anything before. Tater was making a valiant attempt to meet Eric’s eye, but kept skittering his gaze back down to the sheets. “Shouldn't have...sorry. Was inappropriate.”_ _

__Jack nodded quickly, but all Eric could see of him was the back of his head. “Yeah, no, and I’m sorry. That was…” He trailed off, making a vague gesture that Eric had no idea how to interpret. He cleared his throat again. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let my feelings get away from me like that.”_ _

__Tater’s eyes snapped back to Jack, his frown pulling deeper. “Feelings?”_ _

__Eric’s heart was pounding in his chest. He couldn’t do this. “Look, it’s fine, okay? It’s all fine. We can all just...I mean, not that I’m not flattered, by, uh, by both of you! Really. You’re both…” Eric worried his lip between his teeth. Before he could think of the words he needed, there was a soft but insistent pressure against his arm. He barely had time to glance down before a tiny bundle of fur was forcing its way into his lap, a tiny head knocking against his chest and demanding attention. He blew out a breath, grateful for something to focus on that wasn’t the wall._ _

__“You’re both great,” he continued after a pause, stroking the kitten behind her ears. “You’re both just so sweet, and caring, and Jack you’re so driven and passionate all the time, and Tater you’re so good at making everyone laugh. I’m so lucky to have both of you in my lives, even just as colleagues let alone friends.” He spared a glance up and found both of them staring back at him, eyes wide and attentive and he felt his own blush growing stronger as he glanced back down at the kitten. “And you’re both very, uh, handsome.” He couldn’t stop himself from coughing over the word. “Any guy would be lucky to, um, be with either of you but I can’t...I can’t choose and I can’t destroy a friendship like that.” The cat purred in his lap and he tried to focus on her. “I mean, if I could date both of you I would.” He couldn’t stop the slightly hysterical little laugh that bubbled out there, either at his stupid joke or at the idea of having two ridiculously hot and successful boyfriends. “But I can’t so...I really think we should just get ready.”_ _

__The numbers changed on the clock beside him and the kitten kept purring in his lap, and despite his request, neither Jack nor Tater moved. Eric withstood the silence as long as he could, before he finally glanced up and found Jack and Tater staring at each other, communicating silently right over top of Eric._ _

__“Uh, guys-”_ _

__“Why not?” Tater asked._ _

__Eric froze, mouth still open as he stared at Tater. “Why not what?”_ _

__It was Jack who answered. “Why can’t you date us both?”_ _

__Eric’s brain was nowhere near caught up to the conversation. “What?”_ _

__Jack and Tater’s eyes slid back to one another, and then was a pause that was so heavy it made Eric’s skin prickle and then Tater was kissing Jack and Eric’s brain officially resigned from the conversation._ _

__

**_May 3rd 2016 9:47PM_**

**  
**

__“It was my fault.”_ _

__“It wasn’t your fault.”_ _

__Tater threw his hands up in the air as Jack carefully closed the door behind them, using the motion to toss his bag onto the nearest bed. “Was my line that let through three goals!” He turned on Jack the moment Jack took a step forward, all flailing hands and frantic motions. “Three, Zimboni! I’m supposed to be first line, but second line didn’t lose any. How is it not my fault?” He didn’t wait for a reply, turning on his heel and pacing to the far window simply for something to do with all of his energy. “Snowy wouldn’t even look at me,” he lamented, the misery palpable enough in his voice that Jack couldn’t stop himself from crossing the room after him._ _

__“Snowy can’t look at anyone after a loss, he’s always like that and you know it.” He grabbed Tater’s bicep with one hand, intending to be comforting, but he was immediately shrugged off._ _

__“He wouldn’t be like that if I hadn’t been so, so…” Tater trailed off, ending with a few harshly bitten out words that Jack didn’t know the meaning of but could recognize as curses anyway._ _

__Tater was moving the other way, back towards the bathroom and Jack let his own bag fall to the floor with a hard thump before he sat down at the foot of his bed. Tater knew he prefered to be next to the window and always let him have the far bed. It was a small thing, nothing at all really, but Jack never failed to notice._ _

__“When we win, we win as a team,” he said, his words measured and careful. It was a mantra every player had heard a thousand times over, and Jack felt it was important that Tater understood he wasn’t just reading from a script. “And when we lose-”_ _

__“We lose as team,” Tater finished, his words caught halfway between annoyed and understanding. Petulant but recognizing that Jack was being honest._ _

__“We are all beating ourselves up, Tater. We all could have done better, but it happened. All we can do is do better next time.”_ _

__Tater snorted, but his shoulders weren’t as high against his ears as they had been a minute ago. “Yeah, yeah, we all hear you talking to reporters.”_ _

__Jack laughed, a short breath of a thing that was the closest he usually came to a chuckle. Tater was good at making him laugh. “There’s no reporters now, I’m just being honest.”_ _

__“You’re annoying,” Tater countered, but stopped his pacing._ _

__Jack patted the spot on the bed next to him, shifting over only slightly even though there was plenty of room for Tater anyway._ _

__Tater accepted none of the room Jack had made for him and instead crowded himself as close against Jack as he could without being in his lap. Jack made a sound in the back of his throat, trying for annoyed and sounding fond. “I’m annoying?” He challenged, but allowed Tater to rest his head against his shoulder anyway, an arm coming up to sling around Tater’s back, sealing them together._ _

__“Yeah, but you’re good captain.”_ _

__Jack huffed out a laugh again. “Thanks.”_ _

__Tater shifted, turning so he could see Jack’s face even as he still rested his head on his shoulder. The result left Jack forcing his eye as far to the side as it would go to try to look back at Tater. “I mean it,” Tater continued. “You’re good for team. Help everyone feel better after we lose, and make sure it doesn’t happen too much.” His smile was blinding, even just the bit of it Jack could see. “You are very good captain.”_ _

__And then, so soft and so fast Jack thought for a moment he had imagined it, Tater leaned up and pressed a kiss to Jack’s scratchy jawline._ _

__Jack felt the heat in his face as he reminded himself that this was what Tater was like. He was all open and unashamed affection, and just because Jack was the opposite didn’t mean he had to make it weird. “Thanks,” he answered again, softer than before._ _

__Jack thought that was the end of it, a momentary pause in Tater’s melodrama and an opportunity for them to move on, to focus on the next game. He hoped it was at least, because it was late and he was exhausted and his own melancholy was just in his peripheral, threatening to overtake him at any moment if he didn’t sleep it off soon. He made to stand up, to head to the bathroom and start his nightly routine with as many short cuts as he could manage, but Tater’s hand on his wrist stopped him._ _

__Still halfway to rising he stopped, turning his face towards Tater with a question on his lips that died at the expression looking back at him._ _

__He had meant to ask a question, though he could never remember exactly what it was, because Tater moved forward at that moment and kissed him._ _

__He knew it was a bad idea, knew it wasn’t something they should be doing, and he knew he couldn’t stop himself from kissing back. He felt like he had left his body for a moment, and when he managed to return, Tater’s hands were hot on his waist and his own were tangled deep in Tater’s hair, and his tongue was in his mouth._ _

__He hadn’t thought about it before that moment, but only because he hadn’t let himself._ _

__Tater was the one to break the kiss first._ _

___We shouldn’t be doing this._ “Why did you do that?” His voice was breathy to his own ears, sounding like he had just stepped off the ice. _ _

__Tater shrugged, like it was an easy answer, or maybe like it didn’t require much of an answer. “I’m upset. You’re upset too. Let’s do something to make us not upset anymore.”_ _

___That’s the dumbest fucking reason, we need to stop._ “Like what?”_ _

__Tater had a lot of different smiles that meant a lot of different things and Jack thought he had learned them all over the course of their friendship. He had never seen the low smirk Tater was giving him now, and he went cross-eyed trying to watch it as Tater leaned in and he felt teeth against his bottom lip. “You’re good captain. Let me show you.”_ _

___No, this is a terrible idea._ Jack breathed out a heavy sigh that was caught between them as Tater kept himself close, his hands light and gentle and ready to pull away if Jack said what he should. That was the professional course of action. _ _

__Jack took a breath. “Okay.”_ _

__

**_July 25th 2017 6:15AM_**

**  
**

__They had never talked about It. About That Night. They had both woken up the next morning curled around each other in nothing but their underwear (or at least, Jack had been wearing underwear) and they had joked and talked and gotten ready and not mentioned for one moment what had occurred the night before. Tater had been worried at first, of course, had been afraid that his impulsiveness had gotten him in water too deep for even his charm to pull him out of, but then Jack had said yes and then hadn’t brought it up the next day and Tater had spent weeks reliving the same night over and over in his head whenever he had a moment of silence._ _

__He had thought nothing would replace it. That was until of course Eric had inserted himself into their lives._ _

__It had been a problem all year, one he was ignoring and Jack was internalizing and Snowy was quietly being annoyed about, until suddenly they were here. They were here and for the first time in over a year Jack’s mouth was slotted against his and Tater had honestly forgotten how good of a feeling it was, lost in too many fantasy recreations in his head that could never have lived up to the real thing._ _

__When they pulled apart Jack’s eyes darted away, a flush high on his cheekbones and Tater felt a rush of affection so strong he almost pulled him back in again. But he could feel Eric’s stare on him like a brand and he turned to meet it._ _

__“Why can’t you date both of us?” He repeated again, feeling much bolder now with the taste of Jack’s mouth on his lips. He was breathing too heavy for a man who had been asleep not five minutes ago. He reached out a hand, knocking his knuckles against Jack’s chest. “Who could say no to Zimmboni?”_ _

__Eric’s eyes were impossibly wide, his knees pulled up almost to his chest as he gaped at them. It was the cutest thing Tater thought he had ever seen._ _

__“I’m…” Eric glanced between them, his hand going still on the cat in his lap until she made an unhappy sound and he continued. “Am I still asleep? What is happening?”_ _

__Jack shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”_ _

__Eric blinked. “You don’t think so? You’re not sure?”_ _

__Jack shrugged and didn’t even make an effort to suppress the smile that was working its way across his face. He looked so beautiful when he smiled, and maybe one day Tater would have the nerve to tell him that. Maybe one day soon. “90% positive.”_ _

__“We want to date you,” Tater clarified when it became apparent that Jack was going to be useless. “Both of us.” He bit the inside of his cheek, unable to stop his own grin and forced himself to meet Eric’s eye even though the effort was almost painful. “If you want that too.”_ _

__Eric’s mouth was still open, eyes still wide even in the dark but he seemed to be coming back to himself. “Really?” He asked, his voice somewhere between hopeful and suspicious. “You’re serious? You both want to date me? _Me_?” He emphasized the last part, like there was something wrong with the notion of either Jack or Tater being interested in him at all. _ _

__Tater nodded. “Yes. _You_.” _ _

__Eric shifted then, letting his legs stretch out in front of him again as he momentarily retreated somewhere in his own head to consider everything being laid out in front of him. Jack and Tater shifted without having to talk about it, moving back away an inch or two to give him more room._ _

__The kitten stirred in Eric’s lap and he scratched her absently between the ears. “There would be a lot to discuss. A lot of things to consider.”_ _

__Tater’s heart was in his throat, a wild and frantic sort of hope trying to claw its way out of his chest. He didn’t trust himself to speak and nodded instead._ _

__“We can talk about whatever you want,” Jack encouraged softly._ _

__Eric nodded, but it seemed to be more in thought than in confirmation of their proposal. There was a pause, his eyes focusing somewhere on the far wall for a moment before settling back to Tater. He nodded again, and Tater felt almost light headed._ _

__“Okay.”_ _

__“Okay?”_ _

__Eric nodded, his face still red and shoulders high and hesitant, but his smile was soft and genuine. “Yeah, okay. Let’s try it.”_ _

__Tater didn’t think before he moved, nearly bowling Eric over into the mattress as he tackled him in a hug, careful only to make sure he kept enough space between their bodies for the kitten. Eric squeaked as his back hit the mattress, but otherwise he did nothing to try to dislodge his friend. His boyfriend. One of his boyfriends._ _

__Behind him he heard Jack laugh as the kitten mewed a quiet protest and wiggled out from between them._ _

__“Tater-”_ _

__“Can I kiss you?” He wanted to do it right then, to seal this fragile deal they had just begun to construct, but he had to know first if he could._ _

__Eric grinned then, the first one he’d given all morning that was devoid of the nervousness and suspicion he had been been battling with before. It was real and wide and so very Eric that it made Tater’s chest ache. “Yeah.”_ _

__He barely had time to get the word out before Tater was pressing their mouths together, chaste but insistent as he found himself unable to stop smiling long enough to make it a proper kiss._ _

__“You’re an animal,” Jack said when Tater finally pulled away just enough to look down at Eric’s face. Jack’s hand was at his shoulder then, pushing Tater aside so he could crowd further into their space._ _

__“Bittle, can-”_ _

__Before he could finish his question Eric was moving forward, one hand bunching in the fabric of Jack’s hoodie as he met him halfway in another kiss. Tater watched until the pinprick of claws drew his attention away from the two and back to the tiny animal crawling up his arm._ _

__“I think she needs fed.”_ _

__“And you,” Eric pulled back just enough to jab a finger at Jack’s shoulder, “have an appearance in less than two hours. As much fun as staying in bed and making out sounds, and it does sound fun…” Eric trailed off a minute, his expression foggy as he seemed to be contemplating the idea before he shook his head. “Uh, we need to make it there. It’s for sick kids.”_ _

__Jack grimaced, flopping back onto his back. “Why couldn’t it be literally anything else? The one thing I can’t blow off.”_ _

__Eric patted his shoulder in what was a decidedly unsympathetic slap before shuffling his way to the bottom of the bed. “You’ll survive.” He pulled himself to his feet, hair sticking up in all directions, face still flushed and missing one sock._ _

__Tater had never been more charmed in his life._ _

__“Now, let’s get going. Plenty of time for,” he made a vague gesture at them both, “later. But for now you,” he pointed at Tater, “need to take the list we made last night and go get supplies for her, and you,” he pointed at Jack, “need to get ready for your appearance. I’ve got one week left on this team, and I’m not about to let my reputation for getting everyone where they need to be go down the drain at the last possible minute.”_ _

__In the end, Tater forgot the list and Jack and Eric made it to the hospital on time. A week later Snowy would sigh into his hands like all three of them were personally killing him but then later give Tater a silent high five the second they were alone._ _

__But before Snowy knew, and before Tater forgot to get flea medicine but remembered to get more toys than one cat could ever play with, and before Jack and Eric left for the hospital they had both given him a quick kiss, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like they had wanted to kiss him as badly as he had wanted to kiss them._ _

__And in that moment Tater knew that anything else that would come their way would all be worth it in the end._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading my FIRST EVER attempt at a poly relationship wow. You're all amazing.
> 
> [ **Tumblr.** ](https://dexondefense.tumblr.com/)


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